chapter02 · 058-ep58
Side Story: Karin Yamada Holds Back
I'm sorry. Between work on two print editions, poor health, and some bad luck, I've fallen behind, so this time is a side story. (Though chronologically, it takes place right after the previous episode.)
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After Mitsuki Shijou temporarily left the training grounds, Karin continued visiting other training groups with Honoka and streaming their drills. Once she'd finished introducing one group, a party approached her.
"Excuse me. May we have a moment?"
They were several large men who, judging by their clothes, were young police officers taking part in the exercise. The apparent leader steeled himself and bowed to Karin.
"Sorry to approach you out of the blue. I'm Watanabe, a second-year officer with the Metropolitan Police Department Criminal Affairs Division, here for the joint training. The others are in my intake. Since we may never have another chance like this, we have a request for Karin ojou-sama. Might we ask it?"
"Hm? Of course. What would you like?"
Karin tilted her head at the sudden intrusion. The men straightened their backs sharply.
"To be direct, we'd like to spar with Karin ojou-sama while we have the chance."
"Spar... You mean a mock fight?"
"Yes. The truth is, and I mean no disrespect, we still can't quite believe how strong you are."
【Huh?】
【Did these guys miss the Elegant Draw-and-Obliterate and the Infinite Slice-Me turning finite...?】
【That was almost silent, so they might genuinely not have noticed. Seems they were in a different group】
【Even so, after everything she's done AND a collab with the commissioner-general, not believing in her strength is a bit...】
【What, is this another overconfident guy here to be taught a lesson, like Kagerou-sama?】
"Um, when you say you can't believe in my ability, do you mean you think my videos are fake...?"
Karin could almost feel her old trauma returning. Watanabe spoke as though in anguish.
"No, that's not it. In my head... I KNOW your strength is real...! But my heart can't accept the reality that a high school girl so much slighter and lovelier than we are could be THAT strong, after we endured hellish police-academy training and dungeon instruction... Yet it's deeply disrespectful to continue doubting the hero who saved Shibuya. So forgive me for this moment of rudeness, and thoroughly teach this foolish rookie a lesson in reality...!"
【What's with this guy lol】
【Why say all that in the middle of a live stream lol】
【He's way too earnest lmao】
【Thought he was here to get put in his place, but he's ASKING for it lmao】
【Someone ASKING to be put in his place sounds like a hilarious freak!】
【Karin ojou-sama's so abnormal she's attracting weirdos now lol】
【Funniest part is that it's not just Watanabe-kun asking for it. All the guys behind him too】
【Not fair! They're using their police positions to get a free, legal lesson from Karin ojou-sama! Abuse of authority, desu no!】
【↑ Even the comments are filling with weirdos lmao】
"Still, as I said, we understand intellectually that the gap between our abilities and yours is enormous. If we fought normally, that gap would probably be so great we couldn't even properly comprehend your power. So we want you to beat us while taking a handicap so ridiculous it almost seems insulting. Make us FEEL the difference."
"Like fighting on one leg, Karin ojou-sama! If you gave yourself a handicap like that and then went all out, even rookies like us might get a proper sense of the gap!"
"Hey, you idiots! Don't barge into Karin ojou-sama's stream and say things like that!"
"Are you demanding masochists or what!? You're bothering her! Get back here!"
"Oh, no, I don't mind. This is a training ground, and they did ask me to spar with the young recruits if I had time."
Karin soothed the women's somewhat rough scolding, though she put a finger to her cheek in thought.
(They want a handicap so huge it's almost insulting... But if I do anything too outrageous, it won't be Elegant. Yet if the people here are still much weaker than Kagerou-sama, a halfhearted handicap might leave them badly hurt.)
What to do?
"...Oh, I know."
Karin raised her index finger, as if struck by a brilliant idea.
"Very well! Then I shall use only this one finger—"
She pointed it at the young officers.
"—No, I shan't even TOUCH you with it. I'll take you all down together without laying a finger on you! And no projectiles, of course!"
"""Huh...?"""
Watanabe and the others gaped.
"W-wait, Karin ojou-sama? One finger I could understand, but how will you defeat us without touching us...?"
"How would that even—"
"Like this, desu wa!"
WHOOSH—BOH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"...!?!? GUOOOOOOOOOH!?"
Watanabe's entire life flashed before his eyes. A near-death vision. What had happened? Karin had stopped her fist right in front of his face. Not an ordinary pulled punch, of course.
The air roared and a violent wind blasted out from the pressure of her fist. Though she hadn't hit him, Watanabe's hair was forced straight back and his body was flung at least three meters. The shock ripping through him and the certainty that he would've died if that punch had connected made him collapse, powerless. He was, by any measure, out of the fight.
【!?!?!?!?!?!】
【Huh!? What just happened!?】
【She pulled her punch!?】
【People aren't supposed to go flying from a punch that STOPS SHORT!?】
【But if her fist had hit him, he'd have been blown to bits, so I guess it WAS pulled...】
【No way, what the hell was that!?】
【W-well, she punches lower-layer bosses to death...】
【That still shouldn't be possible!】
【How's she knocking out junior officers WITHOUT even touching them!?】
"Now, this method doesn't involve laying a finger on you. Does it meet your request?"
Karin proudly presented her clever idea while chat and the trainees gaped.
"You'll be looking after Honoka-sama for a long time, and I'd like to meet your request as best I can. So—if anyone else wants an all-out, heavily handicapped mock fight with me, I'll take you all on at once without touching a single one of you!"
The moment she made the offer—
"W-WOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
"She can't POSSIBLY be that far beyond us! There's gotta be a trick! Everyone, charge—at least make her show us how she did it!"
"Good opportunity, rookies! Keep joining in! You hardly ever get to test yourselves against someone this far above you!"
"Then you should join in too, instructor!"
The bizarre blow sent not only Watanabe's party but many hot-blooded junior officers and new recruits from major clans charging in. But—
"AAAAAAAAAAAH!?"
Some were sent flying by pulled punches more powerful than the last.
"THAT'S IMPOSSIBLEEEEE!?"
Others were launched by the wind pressure of uppercuts that never connected.
"""GAAAAAAH!?"""
Still others were blown away together by the gust Karin stirred up with a twirl of her dress's skirt.
When Karin stamped the ground with a little "Hup!" the shock knocked over trainees in every direction. Before they knew it, a pulled punch stopped right in front of their faces and they were out of the fight.
Less than a minute after the mock battle began, the field was strewn with fallen trainees, not one of whom had actually taken a hit.
"Ha... haha..."
"You're kidding..."
"Why was I scared of a mere minotaur when my clan seniors took me to the lower layers...?"
"I feel like I can stay calm facing any dangerous criminal from now on... without getting reckless, obviously..."
"My police-academy instructor? My ex-girlfriend? Haha, they don't scare me... True terror wears the skin of an ojou-sama and lurks right beside you..."
"H-hey... my head's still attached, right...? It didn't fly off, did it...?"
【LMAOOOOOOOO】
【Kaiju rampage lol】
【It's terrifying that she put every single one of them out of action without touching them】
【She's damaging their minds instead of their bodies, that's even scarier】
【And of course she hasn't let them touch her dress...】
【Wait, that dress doesn't tear even when she whips up a gale with it!?】
【At this point she's basically the Storm Dragon...】
【Something SCARIER than the Storm Dragon】
【I've seen this in shonen Ju●p and light novels! When a ridiculously stronger enemy crashes a training session or friendly match!】
【Forget stronger enemy, the FINAL BOSS just crashed it...】
【Final boss in a flashy dress... Sachiko Koba●ashi?】
【Has any generation of rookies ever faced this much terror...?】
【They'll become strong...】
【The fact they could charge at Karin ojou-sama even in a mock battle proves they're promising young people worthy of this joint exercise...】
【Those promising young people are flying around like garbage, though...】
【Usually the most you can blow away with a punch's aftershock is dust????】
【Even dust doesn't fly that dramatically!】
【What an exciting training exercise, desu wa!】
【Training (one-sided massacre)】
【It's important that gifted athletes who were unbeatable back home learn there are powers far above them, so they don't become arrogant... (shaking)】
And so—
"Phew. I think that will do! You all show great promise, desu wa!"
Pleased that she'd met the recruits' request, Karin then carefully pointed out each person's strengths and weaknesses. Demonstrating her otherworldly strength and powers of observation all over again, she won countless new admirers even outside the Anti-Dungeon Division.